Not to be the bearer of bad news, but Christmas is a few months away! And have you started thinking about what to buy for the family as well as your partner who appears to have everything already? The thought of trying to save all that money for Christmas in a relatively short period of time is something that may very well make you break out in a wintery sweat, but Christmas doesn’t have to be that stressful occasion we all build it up as, especially when it comes to your finances! The trick about saving money for the festive season is all about playing the long game. So let’s start now…

The First Thing To Think About…

Before you start trawling through your children’s letter to Santa and thinking “how am I going to pay for all of this?” it’s best to calculate a budget. Instead of trying to buy everything you possibly can, which will only be a recipe for financial disaster, you should ask yourself “what can I afford?” Everybody says it, but Christmas is only one day, so why should you ruin the whole of the following year for a measly 24 hours? It seems that more people are waiting for the bargains on Boxing Day and having a threadbare Christmas, but you can make the best of both worlds with a little financial preparation.

Getting Those Finances Together…

Trying to scramble together enough cash to pay for Christmas can be a stressful pursuit, but if a bit more money helps, there are various options for you to put a few more pennies in the bank account. The first thing to do would be to go through your worldly possessions and then start to think about what you really use on a daily basis. If you’ve got a spare room full of junk, such as your old smartphones, then doesn’t it make more sense to sell your devices that you never use? Because you probably have gone through enough phone contracts in the last 5 to 10 years to amass quite a few expensive phones. But it isn’t just phones that can earn you a pretty penny. If you have old tablets, televisions, or even vintage game consoles that are in good condition, you will be able to get a decent amount for them. And don’t underestimate eBay or Facebook for quick and straightforward ways to sell items that you can get rid of locally.

So many of us feel that on Christmas Day we have to have the best of everything, but that doesn’t mean that the most expensive items are the best. There have been plenty of TV shows where people haven’t been able to tell the difference between a high-end food item in comparison to its bargain version, so instead of going for what looks the most expensive, go for the taste. And besides, with the right recipes, an “average” turkey can taste fantastic.

Look For The Online Specialist Retailers…

This is especially useful if you’re looking for items like perfumes because it’s possible to find online retailers selling high-end perfumes for a fraction of the high street retailers price. Or you could even buy the unpackaged bottles and dress them up yourself in a beautiful box and wrapping which will save you a lot more money.

Buy In Bulk!

A very good way to save money overall is to buy cases of items, especially if you plan on going through a few bottles of wine during the festive season. There are many specialist retailers like Costco where you can purchase a lot of items, and this would be especially handy if you are able to get things like aftershaves and stocking fillers in bulk because of the overall bargain!

Have You Used Cashback Sites?

The premise of a cashback website is that you sign up for free and go through them to buy something which they get paid, due to the traffic, and send some of this your way which can earn you a decent amount over the course of a year. Make sure you find the cheapest deal as opposed to the biggest amount of cash back. One of the best paying cashback sites is TopCashback which can pay out up to 105%.

Buy Items When They Are On Offer!

Set up a Christmas closet and whenever you see any items for cheap, grab them while you can and put them in the closet. Gradually as time goes on between now and Christmas, you will have amassed a lot of good stuff! The thing about retailers in the run-up to Christmas is that they will hike up the prices so if you can get any bargains now you need to make the most of them!

If you are particularly skilled at baking or any sort of food making, you can put together little Christmas themed candy bags such as “reindeer poop” made with chocolate nuts. The great thing about these items is that they will keep for a while so you can make them in bulk and put them together well before Christmas, and it adds a little personal touch rather than that impersonal aftershave you get every year!

The Gift Of Giving…

A lot of people feel that Christmas gifts are a waste in some ways so why don’t you give some gifts that are meaningful such as charity donations? The typical gifts are things like school supplies which are at the cheaper end of the budget, all the way up to clean water for a village or livestock. People talk about the importance of the joy of giving during the festive season, so this is the best way to show that sentiment.

Your Kids Aren’t Snobs…

…especially when it comes to picking the most expensive brands. And if you’ve got young children you know the drill, it’s more than likely they will play with the wrapping and the box! This is a lesson for all of us, Christmas is about the simple things, so do you need to spend all that money on gifts that will go in the garbage a couple of months later? So save some money but also play the long game to make sure you have a Christmas you will remember.